


Agent Not Afloat—Redux

by Fairhaven74



Series: No longer Afloat [3]
Category: NCIS
Genre: Bad Senior, M/M, Not Canon Compliant, Not for Ziva Fans, Rich Tony DiNozzo, Tony DiNozzo Leaves NCIS Team, Tony-centric, smart tony
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-19
Updated: 2018-03-18
Packaged: 2019-04-04 11:29:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 20,472
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14019303
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fairhaven74/pseuds/Fairhaven74
Summary: Tony decides to leave NCIS.  This is not a sequel to my previous story Agent Not Afloat which can be found here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6567283/chapters/15025804This is a re-working of that story.  I have wanted to do this but I didn't want to make changes to the original or take it down, so, instead I reworked it.  It is a bit longer and has some added parts to it.  I have heavily edited it, but if there are still mistakes please let me know.  I wanted to make some of the characters a bit more rounded and I hope I have done so with this version of the story.  If you haven't read the original and wish to do so to compare please do so, if not and wish to completely ignore the original fine by me (I like this version better myself).





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Pleases feel free to leave comments and if you find any glaring mistakes to point them out, just be respectful. I will not post a note for each chapter of this story as it is complete. I enjoyed reworking it and I think it has helped me get out of my lack of desire for writing. I have several ideas for a sequel to this story to resolve several issue that were brought up in later chapters, but I cannot promise when it will be done. I hope to complete my other stories first. We will see where I go.

Six months since Tony's return from his stint as Agent Afloat and he was different; everything was different. Gibbs was troubled by it, because if Tony had been one of the best agents he ever worked with before he was now the best agent he had ever worked with. Tony never missed a beat, always finding the missing link in a tough case. He still let Ziva and McGee find leads, but if they were stumped, he would step up and discover that missing link in the case and run with it. Just like the case they were working right now.

Tony was already at his desk when Gibbs got into work.

“Hey, boss. I got a lead on the case. I was just double checking on it before everyone got in.”

Gibbs just raised his eyebrows and waited for Tony to start talking again.

“Well, I’m pretty sure that the boyfriend did it. Our suspect's name is Thomas Patterson. He had motive, opportunity, and I found his phone number in a disposable phone that was in the lieutenant’s car.”

Gibbs blinked in confusion at Tony’s statement, but before he could ask his next question, Ziva and McGee arrived, and he asked Tony to continue to explain his theory to the others. When Tony was done, it was McGee that asked what Gibbs and Ziva were thinking.

“So, the Lieutenant found his wife’s other phone and started looking for her boyfriend. The boyfriend found out and decided that he would what, take out the competition?”

“No, the boyfriend doesn’t belong to the wife. The lieutenant was seeing this guy on the side, and I think that when our good lieutenant decided to break it off, he got pissed and went after our victim,” Tony replied patiently.

“Um…Tony how did you come to that conclusion,” McGee asked while Gibbs and Ziva just looked puzzled?

Tony tried to stay calm, he knew even if no one else did that this was his last case. He kept repeating the mantra in his head; last case, last case, this was his last case. He took a deep breath before he began to explain his theory to the team.

“Okay, I ran the location on where he called the lieutenant from, all the calls originated from either his apartment or a gay bar that he frequented. I went to the bar and questioned the manager and bartender just to make sure that Patterson didn’t work there. They both confirmed that both Patterson and the Lieutenant were both at the bar on numerous occasions. Then I showed them a picture of the Lieutenant’s wife, but neither had ever seen her. I have Patterson’s address and work schedule, and I called legal for a search warrant for both his car and apartment. I’m just waiting for them to get back to me.”

When Tony looked up from his notes, he saw Gibbs, Ziva, and McGee all blinking at him. He knew that Director Vance had walked up behind him during his explanation, so he was not surprised when he spoke.

“DiNozzo…I’m impressed. When did you find time to work this theory?”

“Oh, hey Director Vance,” Tony pretended to be surprised by him “I worked on it yesterday, and I went to the bar last night.” Tony wanted this case solved so he could quit; he had a new life waiting for him.

Before Tony could say anything else, his phone rang, "DiNozzo," he said answering his phone. “Got the warrant, Boss” Tony said after he hung up.

“Let’s go pick him up. DiNozzo you’re with me,” Gibbs snapped, irritated that he could not puzzle out Tony's new behavior. Tony was a good agent, always had been, but now he could be a one-man team.

“On your six, boss” Tony replied as he grabbed his gear and headed to the elevator; hopeful that they would wrap this case up soon and he could go home.


	2. Chapter 2

Seventy-two hours later Tony was finishing up his final report for their latest case. He knew that come Monday he would no longer work for NCIS or be in law enforcement. Tony really didn’t like the way he was leaving, but he knew in his heart that if he told anyone about quitting they would try to talk him out of it, and he needed to get out. So many things had changed for him since he came back from agent afloat. Maybe he was selfish, but he did not want to share his life with the team. They all liked his father and how good of investigators could they be if they liked the ultimate con-man.

Tony planned on coming back to work on Saturday afternoon and collecting his things; he would leave his resignation letter on both Director Vance and Gibbs’ desks. He had all the letters ready for delivery, including the ones he was leaving for each member of the team in hopes that they would not try to find him. Yeah, right he thought to himself. Well, that was alright he already had a plan for his departure. Tony had spent the last six months working it all out.

The thing was no one knew the real Tony DiNozzo, they only thought they did. Tony really did not need to work, he just had until recently enjoyed it. Yes, everyone knew that Tony had inherited a small trust fund from his mother, but they were unaware that he had inherited a more substantial on from his maternal great-grandmother. Tony never spoke about her, because all he remembered was an old woman who seemed to hate everyone but him. He didn't even know about the trust fund until he was twenty-five when he was contacted by a lawyer with the paperwork turning the entire trust fund over to him. Apparently, great-grandmother Paddington had her own money that was not attached to the Paddington family. When she died he was left with a trust fund of just under 700 million dollars with the stipulation that it would remain in the control of the law firm that drew up the trust, but only Tony could access the money, and his father was to not know that it even existed.

By the time that Tony was twenty-five he was a very wealthy man and could have never worked again, but that did not suit him. So, Tony let the money sit and collect interest, and he lived off what he earned as a cop. He did not touch any of the money until he decided to buy the apartment building he was living in. It was in run down, and many of the tenants were elderly and had lived there for a long time. The previous owner wanted to sell to a high-end developer that would leave Tony’s elderly neighbors without places to live. This did not sit well with Tony, so he had contacted his lawyers and had them purchase the building under a shell corporation. He then made sure that the rents were affordable for all his neighbors and even spent money to fix up the building and make it safer and better for everyone. He replaced windows with more efficient ones, he painted the exterior and all the interior hallways and lobby areas of the building. He hired a competent handyman and manager for the building and directed them to ensure all the apartments were safe and habitable for his tenants. He did not want anyone to live in squalor in his building. Tony also kept the knowledge of his ownership of the building to himself, no one needed to know about it.

Tony's life really changed he met his new love interest, Matthew Gist. They met when Tony volunteered at the local youth center to teach/coach basketball. Matt worked there as a counselor, and he hit on Tony his first day there. Of course, Tony turned him down the first time because he did not date men. He hooked up with them in bars, but never dated. Working in law enforcement for as many years as Tony had made him aware of the dangers of being outed as gay or bisexual. Matt was persistent, and after a month Tony finally gave in and committed to a date. They had a great time on that first date, and Tony asked Matt out for a second one. Matthew wasn't just drop dead gorgeous, he was also a good person that truly wanted to help underprivileged kids.

Tony and Matt had a lot in common; they both had a tumultuous childhood. Neither man had pleasant memories of growing up; Tony's alcoholic parents and Matthew's extremely fundamentalist father did not lead to happy childhoods. Unfortunately, having bad childhoods in common did not make a relationship work, as Tony found out early on, and hidden in the closet his whole life made it more difficult for Tony and Matt. They had fought for the first few months of their relationship until Matt had walked out and told Tony to screw his head on straight and call him; so, Tony did, and he hadn’t looked back. Matthew never made demands on Tony, but he did insist that he did not want to be some dirty secret Tony was ashamed of, so Tony decided that for the first time in his life he would do something for himself. Tony decided he was willing to give up his career choice for something he wanted more, Matthew. Matt hadn’t asked Tony to quit, but Tony knew that there was a chance he might not come home one day, and he loved Matt too much to do that to him. The dangers of being out in law enforcement, while not as bad as in the past, was also a concern for Tony and he didn't want to take the chance. So here Tony was on Saturday afternoon leaving his letters on desks and picking up his things; after he was finished, he would get in his car and drive to his new home and life with Matt.


	3. Chapter 3

It was early Monday morning when Vance entered his office. He was busy sorting his email when one caught his attention. It was from DiNozzo, but he never sent him emails at least not from his account. He was almost surprised that DiNozzo knew how to use email as both Gibbs and DiNozzo never really took to technology. As Vance scanned the email he realized that it was an apology letter:

 

Director Vance, I wish to apologize for the position that I am leaving you in, but unfortunately, it is unavoidable. Shortly you should be receiving my termination paperwork. I am resigning from NCIS for personal reasons that have nothing to do with you reassigning me.   I have left letters for the team, Abby and Dr. Mallard. I hope that these will alleviate any potential problems with them for you. Thank you for the opportunity to serve.

 

Sincerely,

 

Anthony D. DiNozzo

 

Vance was so stunned that he did not realize he had bit through his toothpick. He jumped a little when he heard a knock on his door and his secretary entered caring a rather large envelope. The Director knew that it would be DiNozzo’s paperwork. Instead of tackling that he decided he better get ahead of the game and intercept Gibbs and team before they had a chance to read the letters. To that end he had his secretary inform Gibbs that his team was requested in the director’s office as soon as they arrived. He also extended ‘invitations’ to Dr. Mallard, Ms. Sciuto, and Mr. Palmer. He also made sure that security collected all the letters and brought them to his office. He really did not want to deal with the uproar he was sure was going to happen once the letters were read. Better to have this happen in private.

***

Gibbs was pissed. He had been trying to contact DiNozzo all morning. They had had an early call out to a crime scene, but no one could get ahold of DiNozzo. DiNozzo had better be at his desk and have a damn good reason for not responding to the phone calls.

“McGee,” Gibbs barked.

“Y…Yes, boss?”

“Have you found DiNozzo?”

“No, but um…the Director wants to see all of us right now.”

Gibbs huffed, great now what did Leon want. It couldn’t be about the case as it was a minor one and the suspect was still at the scene when they got there.

“Well, come on let’s not keep him waiting,” Gibbs practically snarled.

McGee shot a quick glance at Ziva before following their boss up to the director’s office.

McGee was worried about Tony. This was just not like him, even when he was joking around, he was always reachable or at least responded to text messages Tim sent, but not today. Tim had had no response at all from Tony. McGee became excessively worried when he entered the director’s office and found Ducky, Abby and Jimmy all waiting for them.

“What’s going on Leon?” Gibbs demanded.

Vance sighed, he knew this was not going to go well, “Everyone, please take a seat. This could take a while.”

Abby was vibrating in her seat when she asked, “Is this about Tony? Is he okay?”

Leon sighed again he really did not want to deal with this, but it was his job, and this team was like family.

“Ms. Sciuto, please…I really don’t know an easy way to say this,” Leon held his hand up to stop anyone from talking before he could continue. “This morning I received an email from Agent DiNozzo informing me that he was quitting effective immediately. Before you say anything else, I do not know any more than anyone else here. He did leave each of you a letter, I do not know what any of them say, but I thought it would be a good idea to have you read them here instead of in public.”

Leon handed out the letters address to each person, he did not mention that they had all been found on their desks. When he was done he noticed that everyone was looking apprehensive about opening them, but Palmer.

“Mr. Palmer, were you aware that Agent DiNozzo was planning on leaving?” Vance asked the young M.E.'s assistant.

Jimmy was quiet for a moment before he spoke, “Yes he had mentioned it to me about a month ago. I’m sorry for not saying anything, but Tony asked me to keep quiet about it as he knew if anyone found out they might try to convince him not too. He had a good and very personal reason for leaving and, please do not try to get it out of me. I won’t betray him," Jimmy said defiantly.

After Jimmy’s impassioned statement everyone quietly looked to the letters in their hands. Each trying to decide if reading their letter now or later would be better. Gibbs was the first to leave with his letter unopened, the rest followed. It was apparent to Vance that they all wanted to read the messages in private and later, right now they all had work to do.


	4. Chapter 4

It was late when Abby finally made it home from work. She was exhausted, angry, hurt and confused by Tony’s departure. She still had not read her letter that Tony left her. With a heavy heart, she figured she might as well read the letter. As she slit the envelope open, she had to laugh as the bat, and skull confetti Tony placed in the envelope fluttered to the floor. She removed the letter and began to read:

Dear Abby,

I’m sorry for leaving like this, but I know that if I didn’t you would try and talk me out of it and I probably would have listened. I wanted you to know that my leaving has nothing to do with you or anyone on the team or at NCIS. I may not be ready to tell you everything about my departure but know this you will always be in my heart.

Please don’t try to find me yet, I’m not ready for that. I’ll contact you when I’m ready to see and talk to you again. Right now, I need to focus on getting my life in order and start fresh. This is a big move for me Abbs, please respect my wishes.

 

Always Love,

Tony

Abby closed her eyes as tears slowly slid down her face. She would respect Tony’s wishes for now, but he better not take too long to make contact or she would find him. With that, she turned and headed to bed.

***

Ziva entered her apartment with the letter Tony left her in her hand. She had not had the time or desire to read it yet, but she figured she might as well get it over with. She was surprised when she opened the letter, and the top page was a sketch Tony had done with a ninja on it that looked remarkably like Ziva. She set the paper down and proceeded to read the letter:

 

Dear Ziva,

Watch Gibbs and McGee’s backs for me. Hope you like the picture. Maybe I’ll see you around.

Tony

 

Ziva turned the paper over looking for the joke or a P.S., but there was nothing. Needless to say, she was a bit hurt that that was all she got out of him.

She turned when she felt her boyfriend Michael wrap his arms around her and figured she could contemplate Tony later, he had better things to do right then.

***

McGee had been dying to read his letter from Tony all day, but he had not had the time yet. He had just barely closed his front door when he was opening the envelope and reading message inside. He laughed when the first page was a sketch that Tony had done of an elf with ‘Elf Lord’ written on the bottom of the page.

Dear McGee,

I know that you will be alright without me around, you have grown a great deal since Norfolk. Watch Gibbs and Ziva’s backs for me. I’m sorry for leaving like this, but it is for the best, for me that is. I have a life I want to live, and I can’t do that at NCIS. Please make sure Abby doesn’t rope you into any of her crazy schemes or help her try to find me. I’ll contact you when I’m ready to talk again.

I’ll miss you my little probie.

Tony

P.S. Don’t let Ziva walk all over you. You are the senior agent. Also, do not let Gibbs push you around. Push back when you need to and make sure he doesn’t go off the reservation again.

McGee had always hated being called probie, but now he thought he might just miss it a little. He looked at the sketch Tony had done and thought he might just frame it and hang it up behind his desk at work. With that thought, he headed off to bed knowing tomorrow would probably be a hellish day.

***

Dear Ducky,

I wish that I could have said goodbye in person, but I know you, and you would have wanted to talk me out of it. I just wanted you to know that I always enjoyed your stories, I will forever treasure our time together. You were like an uncle or maybe even a grandfather figure to me, never really had that growing up, so I just wanted to say thank you.

Please keep an eye on the team and Abby. Make sure they all stay on the reservation and don’t take any side trips.

Always,

Tony

Ducky sat rereading the letter that Anthony left him, trying to see where he went wrong with that young man. What did he do to make Tony not trust him enough to come see him before making this decision? The old M.E. would have to make sure he did better with Mr. Palmer, or he might lose another member of his little family. After Gerald and Kate, he did not think he could take many more losses. He folded the letter back up and place it away for safe keeping. He would frame the sketch Anthony had drawn for him of a duck in medical scrubs and hope that one day Anthony would be ready to talk again.

***

Hey Boss,

Sorry for the abrupt departure, but I needed to get out now before I became bitter and angry. I wanted to thank you for the faith you had in me when you hired me from Baltimore. There is so much I wish to say to you. You have been a mentor and a friend to me. Someday when I’m ready I’ll come back, and we can sit in your basement and have a drink, until then take care of yourself. Watch out for the team, Ducky, and Abby. Do not go off the reservation again as Tim and Ziva don’t know how to pull you back like I did.

Do me a favor Gibbs, live your life don’t try to replace what you once had it never works. Find something new, do something different that is what I’m doing.

 

Your Faithful Saint Bernard,

Tony

P.S. If you ever really need me tell Jimmy.

 

Gibbs took another sip of his bourbon and wiped his face. Tony what did I do? I think I just wasted good, and you are good. He looked again at the sketch Tony left him, well it was more of like blueprints to a boat. The boat was too big to build in his basement, he had no idea why Tony left if for him or that Tony had that type of talent. It looked professional, but he could see Tony’s hand in it.

Gibbs wouldn’t be getting any sleep tonight.

***

Jimmy laughed so hard he had tears streaming down his face. I’m going to miss you, Tony. He smoothed out the paper Tony had left for him, tomorrow he would get a frame and hang it up. It was the perfect sketch for Jimmy a gremlin in scrubs skulking around an autopsy room. Everyone thought that Jimmy hated the nickname that Tony gave him, but he knew that Tony gave it to him because he wanted Jimmy to feel a part of the group.

Jimmy was going to miss seeing Tony all the time, but at least he knew he was safe and Jimmy could call him to talk anytime he needed. That was more than the others had, and he felt sorrow for them not having Tony still in their lives.


	5. Chapter 5

Tony’s car approached the drive to the house that he had purchased to start his life with Matt. He could not believe the weight that had lifted from his chest when he pulled away from D.C. He could not wait to start on his new life, he had plans so he would not get bored and want to return to the being a cop.

“Hey, Matt I’m here,” Tony called out as he entered the front door. Tony could not believe the deal he got on this house. It was perfect for him and Matt. It had a music room that fit Tony’s piano perfectly, a movie theater, an indoor swimming pool that was heated, stables for horses, and the best part was the kitchen. Tony could not wait to start cooking in it. He and Matt had decided on the household chores before they even moved in. Matt would stay out of the kitchen and Tony would stay out of the stables. The stables were Matt’s domain Tony really had no desire to ride a horse again, and Matt couldn’t boil water to save his life.

Matt came down the stairs bring Tony out of his musings “Hey, babe. You made good time.”

“Yeah, I couldn’t wait to get here,” Tony said as he pulled Matt into a kiss. The kiss went on for a bit until they had to break for air.

“God, I missed you,” Tony said as he rested his forehead on Matt’s.

“Um…Tony, we’ve only been apart for like seven days,” Matt laughed at him.

“Yeah…yeah you know that is like a lifetime for me.”

“So…now that you are here are you planning on letting me know what you plan on doing with the rest of your life?”

Tony was quiet while to pulled Matt up the stairs and toward their bedroom. He pulled him into his arms as he began to kiss him again. In between kisses he responded, “Well…I was…thinking…that I…might…become your…rich… sugar daddy…” Matt pulled away from Tony and narrowed his eyes at him.

Tony knew he was in trouble. Matt did not like it when Tony joked like that because he did not want Tony’s money. In fact, he had refused to allow Tony to put his name on the house unless he could contribute in some way.

“Okay, I’m kidding. I think for right now I’m going to take some time for myself and do the things I enjoy that I haven’t had time to do. I think I’ll cook and bake some and I might even try my hand at writing music again.”

“Don’t kid like that Tony, it’s not funny. You know I’m not with you for your money. You could have stayed at NCIS, and I would still be with you. I love you, you know, that right?”

“I know that sweetheart,” Tony whispered into Matt’s ear as he pulled him into a hug.

 

Later that evening, after Tony and Matthew had eaten and Matt was sleeping, Tony sat at his piano playing an old soft melody from his childhood. He felt terrible about his joke earlier with Matt; he hadn't meant to say it, it just came out. Sometimes his mouth spoke before his brain thought better, it was something he needed to work on to improve himself.

As Tony played, the thought back to when he and Matthew first started to date. Tony was not looking for a permanent relationship at first, but Matthew was persistent and did not seem to notice Tony's reluctance. Tony was reluctant to put himself in the position to get hurt again like he did with Wendy; she had ripped his heart out and stomped on it while she smiled gleefully at him. He also didn't have the best role model growing up regarding relationships; his father was a serial monogamist, Tony couldn't count the number of step-mothers he had. Matthew had been patient with all of Tony's issues and had finally worn him down enough for Tony to realize that he what he would miss if he didn't take a chance with love and explore a committed relationship with Matthew. Tony decided it was worth the risk to his heart, sighing, he carefully lowered the fallboard and stood. Stretching, he worked the kinks out of his back before he headed up the stairs to his bed and his boyfriend.

***

It had been a month since Tony had left NCIS and he thought he would go insane if he did not find something else to do besides cook and work on his music. He loved doing both, but it was making him overthink and he just was not ready to confront some of his personal demons. Matt had taken a job at what Tony liked to call ‘the camp for wayward kids.’ In reality, it was a facility that catered to pre-teens and teens who either had been in trouble with the law, drugs, and alcohol or were just uncontrollable. Tony had been considering volunteering at the camp a few days a week. He was starting to think that maybe he could help some of the kids out and get them on the right track before they ended up in prison or worse, dead.

The thing was Tony knew that if he had made different choices in his life, he could have been one of those kids. He could admit to himself that his father had been good for something in his life; he had taught Tony that no one was going to hand you anything, you had to work for it. That is what Tony had done, he had worked hard in school and even though everyone at NCIS thought he had gotten a free ride in college because of sports and they wanted to dismiss his degree in Phys Ed he had worked his ass off to keep his grades up so that he could continue to play.

Tony may have wanted to be a pro ball player, but he knew that it was a career choice with a potentially short life. So, when Tony’s leg injury ended his career before it happened, he decided law enforcement was the right choice for him, but he knew that if he wanted to go farther, he would need more educations. What many did not know was that Tony had gone on to get a double master’s in criminology and Psychology.

Tony was not stupid, but he understood working as a team, so when Gibbs brought Kate on to their team he accepted it. He really did love Kate as a sister, she just was not the best judge of character. Kate led with her heart and not her brain. In reality, she was a really bad profiler, but Tony knew they needed a third teammate and Gibbs had taken to Kate. Tony honestly thought he could have helped Kate get better at being an investigator and profiler if she had not been killed.

Of course, there had been McGee. McGee was smart with little confidence. McGee’s problems developed when he mistook ego for confidence. McGee’s books did not help with that situation, and as much as Tony really wanted McGee to succeed Tony knew that for him to do that McGee needed to face reality. McGee was not a natural investigator, but he was capable of learning how to investigate.

Tony took a deep breath and stopped himself from any further thoughts on his former teammates. He knew he needed to find a new focus or he would end up reliving all the bad memories and not remember the good times. With that in mind, he made a call.

***

Matt was looking forward to tonight; it was date night with Tony. Tony had instituted it after he had left NCIS because that had missed out on many dates over the five months they had dated before Tony quit. Tony was a romantic at heart, he always made something special for dinner, had candles lit all over the house, and usually a romantic movie to watch. The night still ended with them in bed wrapped around each other.

As Matt approached the house, he used his garage door opener to open his bay of the garage, before he pulled his car in. Tony was a bit of a security nut Matt thought, but he went along with it. Tony told him he had made a few enemies over the years and he just wanted to be cautious. Matt realized that Tony did not fear for his own safety, but for Matt’s, this made Matt love him even more.

Matt reached over and opened the glove box to remove the present he had gotten Tony, he just hoped Tony liked it. He put it in his pocket as he got out of the car and headed into the house. He called out to Tony as he entered, “Hey, I’m home Tony. Is dinner ready?”

“Yeah, I’m just putting it on the table. Go wash up.”

Tony came up behind Matt as he was washing his hand. Matt was shorter than Tony, so he could always place his chin on Matt’s shoulder from behind, Matthew found it comforting.

“How was work today,” Tony asked?

“Good, I think I finally made progress with Tommy. Let’s hope that it works because he doesn’t have many more chances.”

For about a month now Tony had been volunteering at the camp with coaching. Matt had wanted him to start talking to the kids about what happens when you go to jail; he figured Tony was qualified with his background as a cop and an NCIS agent, but Tony had been reluctant.

“Well, I know that you wanted me to try talking to some of the kids. I decided that I had a better idea, but I’ll need you to get your boss to approve it and probably the parents too.”

“Really, tell me,” Matt said excitedly.

Tony smiled at Matt, “not tonight, sweetheart. I’ll email you my proposal tomorrow. Tonight, I have plans for just us.”

Matt pouted but relented besides every time Tony called him sweetheart Matt melted into a puddle of goo, and whenever Tony mentioned plans, it usually ended with amazing orgasms. Matthew would admit it, he was a complete bottom, always had been. Tony once suggested they switch and Matt glared at him until Tony decided he would probably never have sex again if he kept insisting.

Tony grabbed Matt's hand and entwined their fingers as they walked towards the dining room table where Tony had their dinner waiting. They ate while discussing their respective days and played footsie under the table like teenagers, even if they were both in their thirties.

Matt loved Tony, but he did worry that their relationship was moving too fast. They had known each other less than a year when they decided to move in together. Being aware that Tony never had a relationship with a man before concerned Matthew, he was worried that Tony would to decide one day that it was a mistake to have a male lover, although he never voiced his concerns to Tony. Matt acknowledged Tony's track record with relationships was limited to two spectacularly failed ones; Wendy and Jeanne. Both women broke Tony's heart in different ways, leaving behind a skittish man who was hesitant to fall in love again, especially with a man. Matt knew this but persisted in his pursuit of Tony and eventually won the other man's heart, he just hoped he could keep it.

Matt's own relationship history was spotted with bad boyfriends and heartbreak, too. While Matt was a bottom in the bedroom, he was not a submissive man by nature. He did not enjoy being tied up or humiliated, so, when his first real boyfriend had tried to convince Matthew that it would be fun, he dumped his ass. Matt and Tony discussed their likes and dislikes in the bedroom early on in their relationship before jumping into bed together, and for the most part, they were compatible. The only thing Tony ever complained about was Matt not wanting to fuck him.

"Hey, Mattie?" Tony asked.

"Hm?" Matt replied.

"Where are you, sweetheart?"

Matt shook his head to clear the memories away, before he answered, "just thinking."

"About?" Tony questioned.

"Nothing important, Tony."

Tony sighed, he had very few rules in his life, but one was never to lie to him. "If you don't want to talk about it, that's fine Matthew, but please do not say it is nothing. I know it was something unpleasant. I'm going to clean up the kitchen and go to bed," Tony said as he pushed away from the table and stood taking his and Matt's plates into the kitchen.

"Shit," Matt cursed. He didn't mean for that to happen; he just didn't want Tony to feel like Matt was questioning their relationship or have second thoughts. Sighing, Matt stood and followed his boyfriend into the other room. "Tony, I'm sorry," he said as he placed his hand on the other man's shoulder. "I wasn't trying to shut you our or lie to you. I just didn't think before I spoke. Please forgive me?"

"Will you tell me what you were thinking?" Tony questioned.

"Yeah, after we clean up the kitchen together. I think we should talk about somethings. I love you, Tony."

Tony nodded and returned to the other room to grab the remains of their dinner. Once both men had finished their chores, they headed upstairs to their bedroom and quickly divested themselves of their clothes and took turns using the restroom.

Climbing in between the sheets Matt rested his hand on Tony's chest, he didn't think sex was something either of them would want after they spoke, but he knew this was something they should talk about. "I'm sorry Tony. I shouldn't have been dismissive of you. I just worry that if I tell you what I thought you will become upset and think I'm second guessing our relationship, which I'm not."

"So, what were you thinking about?" Tony questioned.

"I was thinking about how fast our relationship moved. I'm worried that one day you will decide that being with a man isn't for you and leave me. I know you love me Tony, but you haven't had too many relationships and the two you did have sort of sucked. I love you so much, Tony."

"Oh, Mattie. I love you," Tony said as he leaned in and gave his lover a quick peck on the lips. "I get what you are saying. Hell, I even have the same thoughts occasionally, but I don't think I could leave you if I tried. I'm so in love with you that what I had with Wendy and Jeanne pales in comparison. I thought I was in love with both, and yes, I loved them, but I know I wouldn't have given up my life as a cop for either of them. Neither woman was my soulmate, Mattie; you are. I need you as much as air or water. Yes, our relationship moved fast, but I think both of us were ready for something permanent when we met. I'm sorry I overacted and ruined our night."

"You can make it up to me in the morning, babe."

"Okay, come here," Tony said, as he pulled Matt into his arms and cuddled with the other man. They drifted off to sleep wrapped around each other.


	6. Chapter 6

Four months after Tony left NCIS, he received a call from his one of his frat brothers, Dan. Dan had started a security company some years ago, but now he was in trouble and wanted Tony to come work for him. Dan knew that Tony was no longer a federal agent, but he was hoping that Tony’s former high-security clearance would help secure some government contract that he needed.

First, Tony wanted to know all the issues that Dan was dealing with before he would even consider taking on any role inside the company. Tony also insisted that he did not want to be an employee, but a part owner. Tony was willing to invest in the company if it was sound and he could get a return on his investment. Tony’s last condition was he needed to talk to Matt before he could make a final decision on involvement with the company.

Tony figured he would call in some markers he had out and see what was going on with Dan’s company. Tony also did his own research into it and contacted his lawyers to help dig up anything he could get access to. What Tony found was that Dan had run into some trouble regarding his handling of sensitive information. Dan had trusted the wrong people and failed to check on what they were doing. Needless to say, he got caught with his pants down and now needed someone to bail him out. Tony was not going to bail out stupidity, but he did see potential in the company and if he could fix the issues and figure a way to keep Dan for any form of management in the company he might do it. But first, he would need to talk to Matt.

***

Tony knew he needed to speak to Matt about Dan’s request, but he wanted to get all his ducks in a row before he did that. He knew that Matthew would have legitimate questions and Tony would need to answer them.

When Tony heard Matt come in, he left his office and when to greet his boyfriend.

“Hey, how was work?” Tony asked as he took Matt’s jacket from him to hang up.

“Tiring, I think I need to find a different line of work. These kids just don’t seem to get that actions have consequences. Sorry babe…” Matt caught a look of guilt on Tony’s face, “what have you done Tony?”

“Nothing…yet,” Tony replied.

“Yet? Okay, spill,” Matt demanded.

Tony sighed but figured he might as well get it over with. Matt was like a dog with a bone. “Fine, you remember I told you about my frat brother Dan?”

Tony waited for Matt to nod before he continued, “he called a few weeks ago and had a business proposal that he wanted me to consider. I didn’t want to say anything to you until I had a clear idea of what was going on. I did some research and found that Dan trusted the wrong people and got caught with his pants down, so to speak. I want to buy him out and do a complete overhaul of the company, but I won’t if you don’t like the idea," Tony said quickly. "You are more important than any business deal.”

Matt closed his eyes and took a deep breath before he spoke, “Tony, you know I’m in love with you right?” he waited for Tony to nod before he continued. “You left NCIS because you wanted to spend time with me, but if you do this, we may never see each other. I don’t want you to be unhappy, but I also want to be with you.”

Tony’s eyes widened as Matt spoke. He never realized that he did not explain his full reasons for leaving NCIS to him. “God, Mattie…I left NCIS because I wanted to make sure I always came home to you. I knew that if I stayed, I would probably end up dead or seriously injured. I…” Tony bit his lip, “Matthew, marry me!”

Matt was in shock and very confused by Tony’s non-sequitur but recovered quickly. “You really want to get married or is this just a way for you to deflect a difficult subject?”

Matt was surprised when Tony reached into his pocket and pulled out a small ring box. He was further shocked when Tony got down on one knee.

“Matthew, I had planned on doing this after a romantic dinner and some dancing,” Tony took a deep breath before he continued, “will you marry me?”

Matt took a moment to think about the situation. He wanted to say yes, but at the same time, he did not want to let Tony continue with his deflection of the issue at hand. However, he also did not want Tony to think he was rejecting him. Tony had had too many people in his life do that to him, including his own father. Matt took a deep breath before he spoke, “Yes, Tony, I'll marry you.”

Before Matt knew it, he was swept up in too a tight hug by Tony. He was whispering into Matt’s ear, “thank you, thank you, I love you, Matt.”

Tony broke the embrace and started to tug Matt toward the stairs and their bedroom, Matt went willingly, but he would not forget the rest of their conversation.


	7. Chapter 7

Tony woke the next morning with Matt wrapped up in his arms, and he could not be happier. He knew that he and Matt needed to discuss Dan’s business deal, but he figured that could wait until after the honeymoon.

Tony planned to get Matt down the aisle as soon as possible. He was not taking the chance of losing Matt by waiting and dragging it out. Tony did not have any family to invite, and the only person he wanted to attend was Jimmy. He had already contacted Jimmy to see when he could make it; Jimmy had told him that he and Brenna could make it by the weekend. Tony had also called Matt’s mom and sister, and they would be there by the weekend as well. Tony figured Matt would be upset at him for setting it all up without asking him, but Tony knew how to get Matt to forgive him.

Tony felt Matt start to wake up. Tony stifled a giggle into his boyfriend's shoulder, Mattie made the cutest snuffling noises when he was close to waking up.

“Morning, sweetheart” Tony whispered into Matt’s ear.

“Hey, so when did you plan on us getting married,” Matt asked Tony?

“Well…I kind of planned for this weekend. If that is alright?” Tony asked hesitantly.

“You better have invited my mom and sister, because if you didn’t, we would never hear the end of it.”

“Um…they will be here tomorrow. Jimmy and Brenna will be here on Friday night.”

Matt rolled over to face Tony and kissed him quickly. “Can’t wait,” Matt said.

“Okay, that went better than I thought. I figured you would be mad at me for not consulting you on anything,” Tony said suspiciously.

“Oh, I figure I’ll leave that for the discussion we are going to have about Dan’s business deal,” Matt replied.

Tony knew he was in trouble, he planned on melting Matt into goo so that he just might forget about that discussion until after they were married.

***

The rest of the week went by fast for Tony as he finished his plans for the wedding. Tony had planned on having Jimmy as his best man, and Matt’s best friend from college was supposed to attend, so Mattie's best man was covered, too. Tony was pretty sure that was Matt’s sisters doing. Tony didn’t like the guy; the one time he met the guy he hung all over Matt.

Since Tony and Matt’s house had a large sunroom in it, Tony figured it would work wonderfully to hold the wedding. He had ordered candles with silver accents to decorate the room with, and they did not need any flowers as the room already housed several flowering plants that Matt had insisted they needed. Tony was not a plant guy, he could barely keep his fish Kate alive. The best part of the room was that if faced northwest so, he had planned on having the ceremony as the sun was setting, but without the direct heat of the sun on them.

After the ceremony, they would have a dinner that Tony would prepare himself; Tony really was a private person. He did not want a bunch of strangers with them at some restaurant with semi-decent food. Tony wanted an intimate wedding and reception. He figured since he and Matt were getting married that they could have the wedding any damn way they wanted. Tony did feel a bit bad because he was picking out everything. Matt had not objected though so Tony figured he was getting everything right.

Tony could not wait, in twenty-four hours he and Matt would be married.

 

When Tony opened the door, he pulled Jimmy into a tight hug. After he released Jimmy, Tony hugged Breena and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

“I’m so glad you two could make it,” Tony said as he bounced on his toes. He had missed Jimmy. They often talked on the phone, but that was not the same.

“Did you really think I would miss this?” Jimmy asked.

“Well, not if you could help it. I didn’t know if you would catch a case and have to cancel.”

Jimmy smiled at Tony, “nope, I told Dr. Mallard that I had plans and that I could not change them even if we caught a case.”

Tony’s eyes widened at that, “wow, my autopsy gremlin grew a pair. You are a brave man for telling that to Ducky. So how is everything with you guys? Work and home life…tell.”

Jimmy and Breena looked around the bottom floor of the house as Tony led them into the kitchen so that he could finish making the late dinner he had planned for the three of them.

Breena spoke first, “where’s Matt?”

“Oh…uh he is staying at the hotel with his mom, sister, and best man. The tradition you know,” Tony murmured.

“Really…that seems very traditional for you Tony,” Jimmy replied.

“Actually, it was Martha, Matt’s sister’s idea. I told him that he didn’t need to, but Martha insisted. Honestly, I think she is trying to convince him to not marry me,” Tony said dejectedly.

“Is that a possibility?” Breena asked surprised by this revelation.

“No, Martha just doesn’t like me much and thinks that I corrupted Mattie. I don’t really get her. Of course, she is Matt’s sister, so I’m going to be quiet and polite and just suck it up.”

“Corrupted Matt?” questioned Jimmy.

“Yeah, she thinks Matt never dated guys before me. It’s the other way around, I didn’t date men until Matthew. He dated his college best friend, Mitch.”

“The best man?” Breena asked.

“The same,” Tony replied before he continued, “enough of this pointless talk. What is happening with you two?”

“We’re good. Breena’s work has been great,” Jimmy replied.

“Jimmy,” Tony said warningly.

“What do you want me to say, Tony? That almost every day I must listen to Abby threaten to start looking for you. Gibbs is worse if that is possible. Vance looks like he has aged ten years. Ziva’s attitude has gotten downright insubordinate to everyone. And McGee started to stutter again. I’m thinking of looking for a new job,” Jimmy said all in one breath.

“Damn, I hoped they would get their acts together not get worse. Is Gibbs bothering you, Jimmy?”

“No, Tony, he’s not. Not really, he just feels guilty about how you left and constantly asks if I’ve talked to you or seen you. He’s wanted me to pass on messages to you, but I wasn’t sure if you were ready for that. Tony, none of this is your fault. They are the ones that are behaving like children, not you. And that is a direct quote from Jackie Vance,” Jimmy replied.

“You talk to Mrs. Vance?” Tony asked.

“Yeah, um, she sort of heard that I knew what was going on and she was concerned about you. She is a really nice woman. She took me out to lunch one day, and we chatted for three hours. No one, including her husband, knows about it. She remembered you from one of her security details and said you were wonderful to her and the kids. I sort of complained to her about all the crap going on at work and that was when she said they were acting like children.”

Tony was so surprised by this revelation that he had to blink and shake his head before he could continue the conversation. “I didn’t know that she even knew who I was.”

“Oh, Mrs. Vance is very concerned and takes an interest in all the NCIS employees that the Director tells her about or she meets. Apparently, he spoke a great deal about you before you left. She is a smart woman and is very good and reading between her husband’s words. He may not have thought much of you as an agent, but Mrs. Vance isn't so blinded by degrees and shiny things as she puts it. She sent some recipes she thought you might like to try. I told her that you like to cook, and she wanted to trade. I shared some of the ones you gave Breena. She said they were a hit.”

“Wow, Jimmy…I don’t have a clue about what to say,” Tony replied, but before he continued his cell phone went off.

“DiNozzo,” Tony snapped into his phone.

“Hey, Tony it's Dan.”

“Dan this is really not a good time, I have company this weekend. We can talk next week.”

“I know Tony, but something has come up, and I need to know before Monday if you want to make a deal.”

Tony sighed, “fine Dan I’ll call you Sunday with my answer.” Tony wished that he could slam the phone down; unfortunately, all he could do was forcefully jab the end button on the phone.

“Tony, is everything alright?” Jimmy queried.

“Yeah, just a frat brother that is trying to get me into his business. Matt and I still haven’t had a chance to talk about it. I’ll call him now and see if he can come home. Sorry about dinner, guys.”

“No problem Tony,” Breena and Jimmy replied as Tony left the room to call Matt.

Matt arrived home about twenty minutes later with a delighted grin on his face.

“Matt, is everything alright?” Tony asked worriedly.

Matt gave Tony a big kiss before he replied, “yes, you got me out of an awful night with my sister and Mitch. She kept trying to convince me that you were not right for me. Mitch kept trying to hit on me every time Martha’s back was turned. I’m so glad you called.”

Tony’s eyes narrowed as Matt mentioned Mitch hitting on him. Tony really did not want that guy in their house tomorrow. “Did he hurt you in any way?” Tony demanded?

Matt sighed, “Tony you know I can take care of myself. You taught me yourself, remember. All he did was make stupid innuendos and comments. I’m fine babe. So, why did I need to come home?”

Tony would let the whole Mitch thing go for now, but if he caught him doing anything tomorrow, he had no problems throwing the guy out of his house on his ass.

“Dan called he needs an answer before Monday.”

“Oh…do you really want to do this? What about spending time together if you do this, will we get to see each other much?”

“Matthew, you are the most important thing in my life right now. I thought we could do this together. We work well together, and you said yourself you should find another job.”

“Tony, I’m a psychiatrist, not a businessman or an investigator. What would I do for you?”

“Well, actually you could do a lot for a security company. I have a plan that I was going to email you after the honeymoon. Here look over it now and let me know. I’m going to finish dinner.”

Tony kissed Matt and returned to the kitchen.

***

After dinner, Jimmy and Breena excused themselves to head up to bed, while Tony and Matt talked about the pros and cons of Tony buying Dan’s business. After several hours of discussions back and forth Matt and Tony decided that it would make an excellent choice for them. Tony would call Dan on Sunday before they left for their week in Hawaii on a private beach.

Tony was not going to let Matt return to the hotel with Mitch there, so he started to kiss up Matt’s neck to distract him. After several minutes Matt drew Tony into a heated kiss leaving both breathless.

“Bed. Now,” Tony demanded.

Matt just nodded his head.

By the time they made it up the stairs and into their bedroom they were practically naked and very hard. They fell on to the bed still kissing.

***

The next morning Tony woke to Matt cuddled to his chest. Tony was completely relaxed and content. He figured if this was how he would wake up every morning for the rest of his life he would be happy. Tony thought he should get up and start breakfast, but he was warm and comfortable. Unfortunately, he had things to do. Tony carefully extracted himself from Matt and the bed and headed into the bathroom to start his day. Tony couldn’t sleep in much anymore; he had gotten used to being up early and living on a few hours of sleep often.

Cleaned up and dressed, Tony headed down to the kitchen to find Breena and Jimmy already making breakfast.

“Hey, guys you didn’t need to do that. Did you sleep alright?” Tony asked as he entered the kitchen.

“Yes, we did and making breakfast is not a big deal Tony. We are happy to help” Jimmy answered.

“Thank you,” Tony said.

“Tony do you need any help getting everything ready for tonight?” Breena asked.

“Sure, if you don’t mind. Jimmy, maybe you can keep Matt busy, so he stays out of our hair?” Tony asked.

“Sure Tony, not a problem.”

A few minutes later Matt can down to the kitchen as Tony was setting the table. Tony gave him a quick kiss.

“Morning sweetheart,” Tony greeted Matt.

"Morning, babe," Matt replied, "something smells good. So, what's the plan for today?"

"The plan is for you not to do anything until it's time for the wedding. I thought you and Jimmy could keep each other company while Breena and I set up for the wedding."

"I can help. I should help," Matt said.

"Mattie, sweetheart, I love you, but you trip over your own feet. I would like to have a honeymoon that does not take place in the hospital," Tony said kissing Matthew to take the sting out of his words.

Matt pouted, but he admitted that Tony wasn't wrong about his clumsiness. It had taken Tony almost three months and extreme patience to just teach Matt to dance without stepping on Tony's toes. "You're right, but don't have to like it."

"I know sweetheart."

"Breakfast is served," Breena said as entered the dining room with several plates followed by Jimmy.

"Wonderful," Tony said as the four-friend sat down to have a companionable meal.

 

Tony was coming down the stairs when he heard an argument in the den. He stopped and listened when he heard Matt’s voice.

“I already told you that I’m not interested. I wasn’t then, and I’m not now.”

“Oh, come on Matt I know that you like me. I still don’t know why you are with this…guy,” Mitch replied.

“For the last time Mitch, I love Tony. Now let me pass. I have a wedding to get to.”

The next thing Tony heard was Matt saying, “Mitch let go.”

Tony didn’t wait to hear more, he entered the room and had Mitch pinned against the wall, so quick Mitch’s head was spinning.

Tony spoke in a low, deadly tone, “you will leave our house, and if I ever catch you anywhere near Matthew again, well you don’t want to know what I will do to you. Get out of our house. Now.”

Tony got Mitch’s arms behind him as Tony propelled him from the den to the front door. Tony was surprised to see Jimmy holding the door open for him but didn't show it. Tony pushed Mitch out the front door and slammed it shut. Tony took some deep breaths before he turned around to find Matt staring at him. Tony flinched, he figured that he might just be in trouble with Matt right now. Before Tony could say anything, Matt was in his personal space giving him a toe-curling kiss. Tony started to return the kiss figuring this was a much better response than being yelled at.

When the kiss ended, Tony pulled Matt into a tight hug.

“Let’s get married,” Tony said.

“Yeah,” Matt replied.

A few hours later Tony was propelling Matt across the makeshift dance floor.


	8. Chapter 8

Six months after Tony and Matt got married and almost as long since they started to work together, Thanksgiving was just around the corner and Tony could not wait. He and Matt had been so busy the last six months with fixing Dan’s security company that they had had very little time with friends and family.

Tony convinced Matt to invite his family to their house for Thanksgiving dinner, and Tony had asked Jimmy, Breena, and Ducky to join them, too. He still wasn’t ready to forgive the rest of his former friends at NCIS, but Ducky had sent a letter through Jimmy, and in it, he had apologized for his behavior while Gibbs had been away, and Tony had been the team leader. Ducky had told Tony that he had spent time talking to Jimmy and really thinking about his behavior. Ducky realized that he had been an ass with his conduct and told Tony that he wished to make amends to Tony. Tony had agreed and invited him to Thanksgiving dinner.

Gibbs had also sent several letters through Jimmy, and Tony was softening on the man, but not entirely there, yet.

Matt’s mother, sister, grandparents, and several of his cousins would be coming. They had all insisted on bringing part of the dinner, so all Tony had to make was the turkey. Tony was very excited because he had never really had holiday dinners after his mother died and even before that they were small affairs as his parent’s families were mostly in other countries. Tony just hoped everything would go alright.

***

It was Thanksgiving Day, and Tony was excitedly bouncing around like an overactive puppy. Matt’s family would be arriving soon, and Jimmy, Breena, and Ducky would be coming any minute. Matt decided he better get Tony to calm down or he would be exhausted before dinner was ready.

“Babe, calm down. Everything looks perfect as always.”

“Sorry…I know, I’m just excited this is our first holiday together, and we actually have guests.”

Matt walked over to Tony and put his head on his shoulder as he hugged him. Tony was taller than Matt by a few inches, but Matt could care less as he liked being surrounded by Tony instead of the other way around. Not that he was a girl or anything because he hated when people thought that, he just like feeling Tony's strength. It was not like he did not comfort Tony when he needed it, but he liked to be consoled, or maybe it was just Tony he wanted to be comforted by. In the past anytime, he got close to someone, he did not like to be smothered, but with Tony, he didn't mind it. It was not like Tony smothered him or anything, just that he was very affectionate. Matt was drawn from his musings by the doorbell. Tony pulled away from Matt, gave him a quick kiss and went to answer the door.

Matt could hear Tony greeting his friends and ushering them into the living room.

“Ducky, this is Matthew. Matt, Dr. Donald Mallard,” Tony introduced.

“It is a pleasure to meet you, my dear boy,” Ducky told Matt.

“Nice to meet you too. I’m glad you could come. Tony has been bouncing off the walls for days. Jimmy…Breena good to see you again,” Matt replied.

Jimmy nodded, and Breena went to give Matt a hug.

“I have not been bouncing off the walls,” Tony shot back at Matt.

“Oh really, mister eager puppy…” before Matt could finish Tony was kissing him quiet.

“Okay you two break it up,” Jimmy laughed at his two friends.

Tony looked at his friends and blushed before he gestured for them to have a seat.

“So, Ducky how are things with you?” Tony asked.

“Good my dear boy. Thank you for having me. I know that I apologized in my letter, but I wish to offer a face to face apology. I was furious at Jethro at the time and did not see what I was doing to you. That is not a good reason to have treated you the way I did. After I took stock of my memories, I found I was not very happy with myself. I am sorry Anthony. I hope someday you will be able to fully forgive me.”

Tony sighed, “Ducky I’m not mad…never really was…I was hurt for a while. I figured out that sometimes you can love someone, but not always like what they do or how they behave. I forgave you some time ago, so let’s say we start fresh and let the past stay there. We can both try to be better people.”

“Very well, thank you, Anthony,” Ducky smiled at Tony.

After that, the conversation took a much lighter note. The friends spoke of what they had been doing lately and how they were looking forward to future endeavors. Tony spoke of the Christmas party he and Matt were planning and how they wanted Jimmy, Breena, and Ducky to attend. Tony was even considering inviting Gibbs to it. It would be the week before Christmas, so Tony hoped that they could attend. They spoke for a while longer until the door rang again, and Matt went to answer it.

Matt opened the front door to find his family. He ushered them into the house, giving hugs and kisses to the women and handshakes to the men. He felt Tony come up behind him, “Tony you know my mom, Margaret and my sister Martha.” Tony nodded to them, while Margaret enveloped Tony into a tight hug.

“Good to see you again Maggie,” Tony whispered into her ear. Martha gave him a slightly grumpy look.

“These are my grandparent’s Richard and Susan Gist and my cousin Steve and his wife Sarah Gist,” Matt finished his introductions.

“It’s a pleasure to meet all of you,” Tony said as he shook everyone’s hands and proceeded to lead them into the living room. Matt could tell Tony was nervous, but he was sure no one else would notice. Tony introduced his friends to Matt’s family and excused himself to check on the turkey.

Matt was happy to see that Ducky and his grandparents were getting along and Jimmy and Brenna were chatting with Steve and Sarah. He sat with his mom and sister to catch up since they had last seen each other. They all spoke on the phone, but it was not really the same. Tony returned and with drinks and appetizers and started chatting with everyone.

Everything was running smoothly as Tony called everyone to the dining room for dinner. They had started to pass the food around and filling their plates when they heard the doorbell. Matt and Tony looked at each other and Tony raised his eyebrow to Matt and said, “invite someone else?”

“No, I’ll go get it," he said as the doorbell was pushed on consistently, causing a long annoying buzzing sound. "Impatient aren’t they,” Matt chuckled. When Matt opened the door, he stared at an older gentleman with greying hair who smile fell when he saw Matt.

“I’m sorry, I must have the wrong house. I was looking for Anthony DiNoz…Junior, there you are. Who is this?” the man said as he pushed past a stunned Matt.

“Dad, what the hell are you doing here?” Tony asked in a hushed tone.

“I came to spend Thanksgiving with you, Junior. Is this a friend of yours? I’m the real Tony DiNozzo. It’s nice of you to spend Thanksgiving with Junior, but I’m sure your family is missing you,” Senior dismissed Matt not giving him time to respond.

Matt blinked, but before he could say anything, Tony had grabbed his dad’s arm and was propelling him towards their home office. All Matt could hear was Tony’s hushed voice.

“Is everything alright, Matt?” Margaret asked.

“I don’t know? Tony’s dad showed up.”

Jimmy’s eyes went wide, and he said, “This is not good.”

***

Tony dragged his father into the office and closed the door before he spoke.

“What do you want dad?”

“I came to see you, Junior, why else would I be here?”

“Money, I’m sure you finally found out that great-grandma left me money. Look, dad, I have guests, and I would like to get back to them. Now if you can promise to behave and not make snide comments about me you can stay for dinner, otherwise, leave,” Tony was not going to put up with crap from his dad anymore.

“Junior, I just want to spend the holiday with my only son,” Senior said with his usual charming smile.

“Fine,” Tony said flatly.

Tony walked his father back into the dining room and introduced him as quickly as he could. His very pleasant Thanksgiving was now in jeopardy. He could not really kick his dad out without a good reason, because as Tony realized he was too kind.

At first, everything was fine everyone was talking companionably, and Tony thought things would work out fine.

After they ate, and the food put away, they all migrated back to the living room for after dinner conversation. Tony noticed that his dad was spending a great deal of time talking to Maggie and Martha. Cynically, Tony thought that his dad was trying to see which one the next Mrs. DiNozzo would be and then it hit Tony. His dad had no idea that Tony had gotten married. This was not going to end well Tony thought.

“So, dad where will you be staying?”

Senior blinked and looked at Tony like he was an idiot, “here of course Junior. I believe you have plenty of room. In fact, I thought I should stay for a while, so we could spend time together.”

It was like watching a train wreck, as Tony realized too late Martha had a plan and it would not end well for Tony.

“Oh, that might not be the best idea, since Tony and Matt are still in the honeymoon stage,” Martha smiled wickedly at Tony.

Senior looked confused as he said, “what are you talking about young lady?”

Martha gave a fake smile as she responded, “oh…I thought you knew. This is embarrassing, Tony and Matt are married. To each other,” she emphasized.  

While Martha was talking Matt and Maggie were trying to get her to shut up, but she was not having any of it.

Senior turned to Tony and asked, “Junior, what is she talking about? You cannot be married to this…this…man?”

Tony sounded and looked defeated as he said, “Yeah, dad, I am. Matt and I got married several months ago.”

The slap to his face, when it came, was a complete surprise to Tony.

Tony was stunned by his father’s reaction. He figured his dad would be unhappy, but this reaction was unexpected. Tony had never seen his father lose his composure in front of others. He only did it in private, and he had not done is since Tony got big enough to defend himself. Tony was not surprised by his own reaction, though. What seemed like several minutes of dead quiet, was in reality only a few seconds before Tony had his father’s arm pinned behind him and he was propelling him to the front door. Tony opened the door shoved his father out it and before he shut it in his dazed fathers face he said, “don’t even think about coming back here. I’m not a little kid anymore dad, and I’m not going to give you the money I know you want. I don’t want to see you again and don’t even think of coming near my friends or my husband, you will not like the results.”

After Tony shut the door, he felt Matt’s hand on his shoulder giving him a gentle squeeze. Tony turned around and took Matt’s hand into his and gave it a reassuring press before he headed back into the living room. Matt knew what was coming, they had discussed it already after the wedding. Tony told Matt he would be polite, but he refused to put up with any stupid manipulative shit from anyone. He was done being the doormat. Matt took a deep breath and followed Tony.

Matt could see Tony was glaring at Martha when he entered the room. Unfortunately, Martha was not getting with the program and was glaring back. Matt walked over and sat down, he did not want to get in the middle of this fight.

Tony glared at Martha before he spoke to her, “whatever your problem with me is, you will leave it at our front door. If you can’t do that, you are not welcome in this house. I have been polite and let some comments go for Matt’s sake, but I’m done being nice about it. Get over it.” With that, Tony turned and walked into the kitchen to get dessert started.

After Tony left the room, Martha turned to Matt, “are you going to let him talk to me like that?”

Matt blinked at his sister, he could feel the tension in the room he, saw out of the corner of his eye Breena, and Ducky leave towards the kitchen, he figured they were going to help Tony and get out of the line of fire. Matt was calm when he spoke, “Martha, I’m not sure what your problem is, but Tony is right. Get over it. This is our house, and neither one of us want this crap in it. Ever since I introduced Tony to you, you have been nothing be mean and rude to him when you could get away with it. I don’t know what has gotten into you, but at this point, I really don’t care. All I care about is that Tony is happy and does not feel compelled to be nice to bitchy people in his own house. If you can’t do that, leave I’ll call you a cab. Come on everyone dessert is probably on the table by now.”

Matt never looked back at his sister as he heard the front door close.

After all their quests left for the night, Matt dragged Tony upstairs to get ready for bed. Convincing Tony to leave the kitchen for the cleaning service that would be there tomorrow was not easy. Instead of talking, Matt started to divest Tony of his clothes. Matt could feel the tension in Tony and began to worry, Tony had been quiet after he confronted Martha. Matt got Tony undressed and pushed him down on the bed on his stomach. He grabbed a bottle of oil and straddle Tony’s hips and started to massage his shoulders.

Neither spoke as Matt worked on Tony’s back, he could feel Tony start to relax. Matt knew he was making progress when Tony started to hum. Matt worked his way lower, and Tony went from humming to moaning, a sure sign that Tony was turned on. Matt knew that Tony had control issues, and he usually did not let go very often but when he did it was spectacular. Matt figured he would play a little and see how far he could push Tony before Tony pushed back.

Matt spent the next half hour giving Tony the most relaxing massage he could. He thought that Tony would fall asleep soon, but then Tony flipped them, so Matt was underneath him. With a feral smile on his face, “didn’t anyone teach not to play with fire, Sweetheart?”

Matt smiled back, “who said I didn’t want to get burned a little?”

Tony then proceeded to leave Matt breathlessly exhausted.


	9. Chapter 9

Martha walked out of the house in a huff. She could not believe that her own brother would side with that…that man. She just could not see what Matt saw in Tony, yes, he was good looking and rich, but he could have found a pretty woman that was rich just as easily. Matt was good looking and educated, he was a great catch for anyone. Besides, now Matt was not spending as much time with her.

They had always been close growing up, she had always looked up to her older brother. Now she hardly talked to him. He was always doing something with Tony. When they did speak, it was always Tony this and Tony that. It made her sick. And her mother just went along with it. She had told Martha that she needed to get over her jealousy of Matt, she said that Tony was good to Matt and took care of him. He really loved Matt, and that was all a mother could ask for, for their child. Martha figured she said that just so that Matt wouldn’t cut ties with all of them.

Martha was so caught up on her musings that she did not notice the man standing next to her car until she ran into him.

“Oh…uh sorry Mr. DiNozzo…I didn’t see you there.”

“That’s alright my dear. You seemed lost in thought, I didn’t want to disturb you. I just wanted to make sure that everything was alright. My…Junior didn’t make you leave because of what you said, did he?”

“No, actually my brother said that…well it doesn’t matter really.”

“Nonsenses, dear of course it matters. Why don’t you and I talk?” Senior said with an evil smile.

Martha returned it.

***

"So, why do you genuinely want to break-up your brother and my son?" Mr. DiNozzo asked Martha shortly after they arrived at the hotel she and her mother were staying at. She decided to rent a different room since she did not want to be caught with this man by her mother.

"Because my brother needs to find a woman to marry, not some homosexual man. He never dated men until he met Tony. I don't like it. Now, why did you slap your son?"

"For the same reason. I do know that Junior has slept with men, I didn't think he would take it so far as to marry one. Plus, if he is already married, I won't be able to set him up with this lovely woman I know. It will ruin all my plans."

"You want his money?"

"Of course," Senior replied casually sipping his scotch.

"This woman you know, do you think she can turn your son away from Matt?"

"No, but maybe we don't need her to do that. Just make your brother think Junior is cheating on him or vice versa."

Martha thought for a moment before she spoke, "that might work, Tony was jealous of Matt's best friend from college. He kicked him out of the wedding. I could call Mitch and see if he would help, he hates Tony."

"Wonderful, my dear. Now, on too much more pleasant topics, are you seeing anyone?" Mr. DiNozzo asked.

Martha shuttered at the man's leer but decided she didn't want to offend him. "No, I'm not currently attached. Why?"

"Perhaps you and I could come to an agreement?"

Martha swallowed, but said, "why not. At least until we break-up Tony and Matt."

"Lovely, why don't you join me in bed?" Senior said.

Martha stood and started to strip and followed the man towards the bed; she'd slept with worse.

***

Maggie entered her hotel room closely followed by her in-laws and her nephew and her nephew's wife. She could not believe what had transpired at dinner with her daughter. Martha was getting worse, and Maggie was starting to get worried that it would break her family apart.

"Maggie, dear, what has gotten into Martha?" Susan, her mother-in-law, asked.

"She thinks that Tony corrupted Mattie," Steve answered instead.

"Good grief, how would Tony corrupt Matthew?" Richard asked his grandson.

"By making him gay, Grandpa," Steve replied.

"Well now that is just preposterous, Matthew has been gay since high school, just like his father," Richard shook his head in disappointment with his granddaughter. "Or perhaps bisexual is the proper term for Michael, I'm not really certain," Richard continued oblivious to the shocked faces in the room.

"You knew," Maggie said collapsing onto the couch in shock.

"Yes, it was hard to miss when you find your own son with his male best friend in high school doing things I won't repeat in mixed company. I told Michael he should have been honest with you before he married you, Maggie, but Michael said he was done with that phase of his life and he was straight, and he had just been experimenting. I should have said something to you, I'm sorry, Maggie."

"I found out right before he died. He forgot where he was and called out the wrong name. He called for a Peter; I didn't know who he was talking about until I found a phone number for a Peter and called him. He showed up at the house and Mike was so happy to see him, and I just knew the truth. It hurt but he was dying, and I couldn't begrudge him some comfort, either of them. When the kids came home to see their dad before he passed, Peter pretended to be a hospice nurse. They still don't know. I should have told Mattie, but I didn't know how. I don't know if it would have made it better or worse for Matt since he never really made up with his father. I'm afraid now he would just see him as a hypocrite."

"You were a good wife, Margaret, and an even better friend to Michael," Susan said wrapping an arm around her daughter-in-law.

"I loved him, I still do. I still talk to Peter; we have a lot in common. I guess it's weird being friends with your dead husband's male lover. We both were grieving, and it helped to have someone who understood. I couldn't talk to the kids about it, and I wasn't sure I wanted to go to a support group. I suppose I should speak to Mattie and Martha about Peter, it might help them."

"It might help Mattie out, but it might make Martha worse," Sarah said biting her lip.

"Probably," Maggie replied dejectedly.


	10. Chapter 10

Tony was looking through a file that Tom Morrow sent him regarding a potential terrorist threat. Tony only agreed to look it over, because Morrow asked. Morrow had tried to hire Tony as soon as he found out he quit NCIS, but Tony turned him down. Morrow had again approached Tony after he found out the Tony had purchased Dan’s business. Tony had agreed to work as a consultant for Homeland Security through DiNozzo International.

The file that Morrow had sent him was worrying, because if what Tony was seeing was right than Ziva was either in the dark or keeping secrets from Gibbs and Vance. She was harboring someone that had defiantly committed a crime on United States soil as a foreign operative. This was not good, Tony knew that he would have to report what he found to Morrow right away.

He grabbed his phone and dialed Morrow’s private number, one of Tony’s conditions for the consulting job was he wanted direct contact with Morrow.

“DiNozzo what did you find?”

“Nothing good. It’s what you suspected. Either Ziva doesn’t know, or she is complicit, but I do know that she is keeping secrets from Gibbs and Vance,” Tony answered.

“You sure about keeping secrets?”

“Yes, I found evidence that she has been passing confidential information belonging to NCIS to Mossad.”

“Damn, alright I will need a special investigator to look into this. Are you willing to take the job? You know the case and most of the people involved.”

“That probably would make me the worst choice. I could easily make evidence disappear to protect people. Conflict of interest and all,” Tony said.

“Look, DiNozzo…SecNav wants you on the case, and so do I. Hell, the Director of the FBI wants you on the case. You would report directly to the three of us.”

“Give me twelve hours, and I will have an answer for you,” Tony said and hung up.

Tony wandered out of his office in search of Matt. He would not take the job without consulting his husband. He found Matt in the stables just cooling down his favorite horse. Matt turned and smiled at him “hey, babe what’s up?”

“Mattie, we need to talk.”

“Alright, give me a few more minutes, and we can go inside.”

Matt could tell Tony was worried, because he was biting his lip.

“What’s wrong Tony?” Matt asked as they entered the office Tony used in their house.

He told Matt everything that he currently knew and what Morrow had asked of him. Tony was lucky because Matt had been able to get the same level of security clearance that Tony had. Tony could not handle secrets, not after Jeanne.

When Tony finished, Matt looked at him and said “I don’t like it, but it sounds like it is necessary that you do this. Just promise that you won’t get brought in any deeper without me.”

Tony hugged Matt and whispered in his ear, “Thank you. I love you.”

***

It had taken Tony two weeks to gather everything he needed to begin his official investigation. Tony refused to go in blind, and he was not going to be thrown under the bus for anyone. Tony had agreed to work with an agent from the FBI, but he had insisted that it be Fornell. Tony had also emphasized that Sacks not be anywhere near him. Tony was afraid he would kill the bastard.

Returning to NCIS after almost a year was unnerving for Tony. Tony and Fornell were in the elevator together heading up to the director's office. He figured that by the time he reached the bullpen everyone in the building would know he was back. They would probably think that he was now working for Fornell. He was not surprised when Fornell asked, “you ready for this?”

“As ready as I will ever be,” Tony replied just as the doors to the elevator opened. He heard Abby’s squeal as he walked off the elevator and he was happy to see that Gibbs was restraining her from rushing him. Tony was not in the mood to deal with Abby right now. Tony nodded to everyone as he passed on his way up the stairs toward the director’s office with Fornell behind him.

When they reached Vance’s office, they were shown right in. Vance greeted them politely, “gentlemen, what can I do for the FBI today?”

“Actually, Director Vance this is a joint investigation between Homeland and the FBI sanctioned by the Sec Nav. In fact, you should be receiving a call from him shortly. We need to take Officer Ziva David in for questioning as well as her work computer. We will also need to shut down Agent McGee and Ms. Sciuto access to NCIS equipment.   You also need to ensure that they do not try to hack anything, or they will face charges. Make that clear to them.”

While Tony was talking to the director, he could see Vance becoming more concerned by the moment. He was not sure what Vance’s response would be, but he was pretty sure that Vance would cooperate as he was a by the book guy.

“You’re with Homeland now DiNozzo?”

That was not the response that Tony was expecting. “Temporarily, I’m an independent investigator, and before you ask, I was requested for the job by Sec Nav. I did not ask for it, in fact, I tried to turn it down.”

Vance nodded, “very well, if you’ll follow me.” Leon was pissed, but he wasn't going to show it in front of DiNozzo and Fornell. SecNav hadn't given him a heads up that there was an issue in his agency; it was concerning.

With that, they left Vance’s office and made their way down to the bullpen. He could see the question in Gibbs’s eyes when Vance explained the situation to the team. Tony caught a glimpse of fear in Ziva’s eyes when he glanced at her. Abby looked hurt, and McGee just looked confused.

When Ziva went to protest Tony and Fornell’s team taking her in Gibbs snapped, “Ziva. Go.”

Ziva quieted at that and went with the agents. Another agent gathered Ziva’s computer, and another one went through her desk.

Tony nodded to Gibbs and Vance, turned on his heels and walked to the elevator and out of NCIS without saying one word to his former teammates. He would talk to Gibbs later; he owed him that much, and maybe it was time to forgive the man. They had been friends once, perhaps they could be again.


	11. Chapter 11

Since it was Tony’s show, so to speak, he decided to let Ziva stew before they went to talk to her. Technically, she was a foreign agent and did not have the same rights as others would. Tony also wanted to make sure that before he went to talk to her, he had all the information possible, because he did not want to make a fool of himself or Fornell.

Right now, Tony’s team was working on Ziva’s computer and her phone to see how much information she had passed on. Even if the information was passed on to a friendly country if the information was classified it was espionage. Fornell had sent a team of agents to her apartment to search it and find out if she had a personal computer, they were also looking for Rivkin.

Fornell had come up to Tony just as he was finishing texting Matt to let him know that he wasn’t sure when he would get home. Fornell asked, “so, what’s her name?”

Tony blinked at Fornell, “who?”

Fornell rolled his eyes, “your girlfriend…or should I say, wife? I see a ring there.”

Tony bit his lip before he spoke he was not sure how Fornell would take it, “actually, his name is Matthew.”

It was hilarious the way Fornell’s eyes went wide at Tony’s declaration, but before they could continue the conversation, they were receiving reports of gunfire at Ziva’s apartment and unconfirmed reports of a potential explosion.

***

By the time Tony and Fornell made it to Ziva’s apartment it had been confirmed that there had been an explosion one agent was in critical condition the other one was dead. Rivkin was unaccounted for.

***

Tony was on a video conference call with Morrow and SecNav about the situation with Rivkin, but his mind was on Matt now. Tony really hoped that Rivkin had not gotten wind of who was after him because he did not want Matt in the middle of this situation. Tony was trying to get permission to bring not only Matt in but also Fornell’s daughter Emily and his ex-wife Diane. Tony had already warned Matt to keep an eye out for anyone he did not know coming to their house, but it would make Tony feel better if he had Matt within his reach.

Morrow and Sec Nav agreed that it would be for the best until they knew the whole situation to bring the three in. Emily and Diane would go to a safe house, but because Matt had security clearance and worked with Tony, he could join him at the Hoover building.

“Fornell,” Tony barked.

“Did you get it?”

“Yeah, how do you want to play it?” he asked. Since it was Fornell’s family, he figured it was only fair that the man had a say in how they were protected.

Fornell hesitated before he answered because there were only so many people he truly trusted with his family’s safety, “I want to bring Gibbs in on this. I know that he might have loyalty to Ziva, but he would protect my daughter with his life.”

Ironically, Tony had been thinking the same thing. “Call him and read him in,” Tony ordered as he walked away to call Matt. Tony was going to get Matt himself because he was not going to take any chances with is husband’s life.

“Sweetheart, I need you pack your go bag for a few days. I’ll be there shortly to get you, and I need your help with this case.”

Matt was silent for a moment, “alright, I’ll be ready when you get here.”

Tony smiled he was not surprised that Matt figured Tony would come get him. He turned to find Fornell staring at him, “did you get ahold of Gibbs?”

“Yeah, I filled him in as much as I could, and he agreed to get Emily and Diane. You know he is going to want the whole story eventually.”

“He’ll get it,” Tony snapped and headed out to pick Matt up, with Fornell on his heels.

***

Riding with DiNozzo was like being with Gibbs in the driver seat. Fornell knew DiNozzo was a good agent, but to watch him on this case was a wonder to behold. The man was dedicated to the case but concerned enough to consider Fornell's family. This was a side of the man Fornell believed few people ever saw; he liked it.

***

Tony was tired, it had been a long day, and they were still no closer to finding Rivkin. He and Fornell were getting ready to question Ziva in a few minutes. Tony did not think it was going to go well. He wanted Matthew watching the questioning to see if he could get a read on Ziva.

“There you are,” Tony said as he came up behind Matt hugging him from behind and kissing his neck.

Matt pulled away from Tony and narrowed his eyes at him. “Tony,” he said warningly.

“Sorry, Mattie, I just missed you. I know that when you are in work mode, you don’t like me being affectionate. Forgive me?”

“Forgiven, so when are you interviewing her?”

“Soon as Fornell gets here.”

“I’m here,” Fornell said.

“Okay, let’s get this over.”

The two men entered the room where they had put Ziva. Tony could see that Ziva was tired and now she looked angry.

“Ziva,” Tony greeted. Fornell just nodded.

“Tony, what is this about?” Ziva angrily threw back at him.

“It is about Michael Rivkin and the information that you passed on to your father.”

Tony knew that Ziva was an excellent operative, she did not even blink when he told her. She gave her most seductive smile and said, “what do you want to know about Michael?”

“Don’t play games Ziva, where would he go if he had to run?”

“Michael would not need to run. He is my boyfriend Tony, jealous?”

Tony chuckled before he responded, “No, Ziva I’m not. We know that Rivkin is here on direct orders from your father. Did you know that shortly after two agents went to your apartment, he killed one and left the second for dead?”

“I do not believe you, besides how would I know? I have been here the entire time,” she snapped.

“Temper, temper Ziva. Oh, by the way, your apartment was blown up. Gas leak," Tony said casually.

Ziva just sat looking angrier.

“Nothing to say?” Fornell asked.

Ziva glared at him.

Tony had hoped that Ziva would come to her own defense, but it looked like that would not happen. “Ziva you know what is going to happen now? When we find Rivkin, he will be charged with murder, and you will be sent back home to your father. That was the deal made, we get Rivkin your father gets you. Is that what you want?”

“Do I have a choice? I think that this is what you have always wanted Tony. You resented me. You resented that Gibbs trusted me right away. I also know that you are jealous of any boyfriend I have had,” Ziva huffed.

Tony gave Ziva a sad smile but replied “no Ziva you don’t have a choice. This is not what I always wanted. As for Gibbs, I’m the only agent that Gibbs offered a job. He offered Kate a job because we both agreed she should be on the team. McGee was my choice. You were pushed on us by Jenny, and I defiantly didn’t trust you then, but you know what Ziva I always treated you like a partner. As for being jealous…well, I’m married Ziva. I really don’t need you or want you. Fornell if she can’t help us find Rivkin get her on a plane to her father. I’m done.” With that Tony got up and left the room.

Fornell had never seen Ziva look so shocked. He asked her again if she knew where Rivkin could be, but she would not say anything. He was escorting her out of the room to hand her off to other agents for transport when she stopped him.

“What is it?” he asked irritated with her.

“Who is that with Tony?”

Fornell smiled, “Oh, that is Matt Tony’s husband.” Fornell really enjoyed watching Ziva’s jaw drop in shock. He handed her off to the other agents, while she was still trying to find her voice.

"Does she know anything?" Tony asked Mattie.

"I don't think so. I'd bet anything that Ziva's father and Rivkin kept her in the dark about their activities. She's using bravado to cover for her fear of returning to her father's custody. Are you really sending her back?"

"Yeah, I don't have a choice. It's either we return Ziva, and she is never to set foot on U.S. soil again, or she ends up at Gitmo. Returning her to her father is the better of the two options, Mattie."

***

Tony was looking forward to crawling into his own bed for the first time in a week and a half. He was also looking forward to seeing Matt. It felt like it had been months since they had seen each other. They had finally tracked down Rivkin; unfortunately, he did not wish to come in peacefully and forced their hand. In the end, Tony’s shot had been the one to take Rivkin down. Vance was not a happy camper about that, he had even tried to force Tony to accompany him and Gibbs to Israel to meet with Director David. Tony politely declined. It had helped to have Morrow, the FBI director, and Sec Nav on his side, they had told Vance that Director David should be happy he got his daughter back after everything that had happened.

To Tony’s surprise, Gibbs had not sided with Ziva but had told Vance to let it go. Gibbs had looked at Tony with such sadness in his eyes and Tony did not know what to make of it. Tony had not had time to talk to anyone at NCIS about anything yet. He knew that he had come back into their lives he would eventually get confronted by them. He figured that Abby would be first and she would drag poor McGee along for the ride. Gibbs, on the other hand, would probably wait for Tony to find him. It was perhaps time for Tony to forgive his old friend and mentor.

Right now, Tony did not care. All he wanted was his nice soft bed with Matt in it. Tony walked up the stairs and headed into their bedroom where he found Mattie sound asleep. Tony divested himself of his clothes and crawled into bed pulling Matt against his chest. Tony was asleep in seconds.

***

Tony woke to find the shower running, when he glanced at the clock it read way past time to get up. He rolled out of bed and found something to wear and headed downstairs to make coffee and breakfast. A short time later Matt wandered into the kitchen to find Tony fussing with breakfast.

“Hey, babe what time did you get in last night?”

“Late, I had to finish up some paperwork before I left, but I’m all done now.”

“Good, I’m not sure if I want to ever be involved with that type of thing again.”

“Sweetheart, you know I know how to take care of myself.”

“I know that Tony, that…now I understand why you left NCIS. I guess until now I just didn’t get what really could have happened. Yes, I know that noting did happen, but it really could have. Sorry, I’m melodramatic here,” Matt gave a nervous laugh.

“Come here,” Tony beckoned Matt. As soon as Matt was near, Tony pulled him into a tight hug. “I did not like having to worry that someone was going to come after you. I wasn’t sure, but I did not want to take a chance. I want you to know that I’m not going back to that life. You are what I want now. Okay?”

“Yeah, okay,” Matt said.


	12. Chapter 12

Life had quieted down for Tony and Matt after Tony’s assignment was done. Both Morrow and the FBI director had offered Tony a job, he turned them both down.  He really did want to enjoy his time with Matt. The best thing that had come out of the situation was that Matt had agreed to take some time and start to travel with Tony. It was not like either of them really needed to work so he figured they could see some sights and places he always wanted to.

Matt and Tony were looking over travel options when the doorbell rang. Matt went to get it while Tony decided they needed more coffee and cake for their discussion. When Matt opened the door, he was surprised to find an older man with salt and pepper hair and startling blue eyes that were hard.

“May I help you?” Matt asked.

“Here to see DiNozzo. Is he in?”

Matt was pretty sure that this man was Gibbs and if he budged an inch, he would be inside the house faster than Matt could blink.

“Tony, someone is here to see you,” Matt shouted; he did not want to shut the door in this guy’s face or leave to find Tony, so this was his best option.

“Yeah…yeah, I’m coming. Who is it? Oh…Bos…Gibbs,” Tony said in disbelief.

“May I come in DiNozzo? Or would you prefer this conversation on your front doorsteps?” Gibbs said grumpily.

“Yeah, sure Gibbs come in, sweetheart…” before Tony had finished his sentence Matt was letting him know he would be in their office working.

Tony did not miss Gibbs’ eyes get wider when he called Matt sweetheart. Tony figured the news that he was married to a man would have made the rounds, but apparently, Gibbs had not heard it yet.

“Coffee Gibbs?” Tony offered.

“Yeah,” Gibbs said and followed Tony into the kitchen.

“So, what do you want Gibbs? I could tell by your reaction that you didn’t know about Matt, so you aren’t here to congratulate me,” Tony laughed.

“You’re right. I wanted to talk to you about why you left NCIS and this whole Ziva thing. I had hoped we could clear the air between us. Shit, DiNozzo I’m not good at this crap. I thought a lot about what you wrote in your letter. I just didn’t know what to say to make things right or honestly if you would listen to me. I wrote to you several times and gave them to Palmer. Not sure if you got any of them. Since you didn't respond, I figured you weren't ready to talk. I waited for you to come to me, but I think that I need to come to you this time. I’m sorry Tony for everything. I really didn’t notice how I changed after Kate joined the team. I pushed you away and was harder on you because I knew you could take it. That still doesn’t make it right.”

Tony just stared at Gibbs in amazement, “wow, um…I don’t really know what to say. Drink your coffee before it gets cold. Look, Gibbs, I didn’t just leave because of how things were on the team. Yes, they may have played a part in it, but the main reason I left was Matthew. I didn’t want to leave him alone because I got killed. I also was tired of playing the clown. I know that you never asked me to, but I knew that Kate needed to be pushed if she was going to be a better investigator. I just continued it with McGee because he needed the same thing. I should have stopped it when Ziva came, but Ziva wasn’t an investigator, and she needed to learn how.   I…thank you for the apology,” Tony finished.

Gibbs gave Tony a quick smile, “so, I guess there is very little chance you will come back to NCIS now.”

“Yeah, no…I don’t want to leave Matt alone. I…” Tony took a deep breath before he continued, “I love him Gibbs, so damn much that it hurts at times.”

Gibbs gave Tony a sad smile, “been there Tony if you have that don’t let anything or anyone take it from you, not even me.” With that Gibbs put his coffee cup down and walked over to Tony and gave him a slap on the back of the head. “For old time sake,” he shrugged.

Tony was laughing as he walked Gibbs to the door. Before Tony could stop himself, he invited Gibbs for Sunday dinner with Ducky, Fornell, Jimmy, and Breena. To Gibbs surprise, he said yes. Tony wanted his friend back, and maybe this was the first step towards that happening.


	13. Chapter 13

It was not until Tony had gotten back from taking Matt on a month-long trip to Europe that Abby finally confronted him. It was shocking that it had taken that long for her to find him. It was a Saturday afternoon when his doorbell rang. Mattie was out riding, leaving Tony to putter around the house. He was not shocked to see Abby on his doorsteps, Gibbs and Jimmy had warned him that she had been gathering a head of steam.

“Abby,” he greeted.

“Tony,” she said shortly as she pushed past him into the house.

Before Tony could say anything, she rounded on him, poking him in the chest with her finger, “why Tony? Why would you do that to Ziva? Why did you leave NCIS? I thought we were family…and family does not do things like this. You left me…I mean us…you left us Tony, and then you sent Ziva back to her father and…and…”

Tony stopped her before she could go any farther in her speech.

“Abby, first off I will not let you continue to poke at me. Second, if you want to know why stop talking and listen for once.”

When Tony got a nod from Abby, albeit an angry nod, he continued, “I left NCIS for me. I left because I found someone who I wanted to spend my life with and I knew the job would eventually get in the way of that. I did not want you to find me right away; because I know you, you would have tried to co-op my relationship, and I wanted it to work. I have someone in my life that loves me, for me and no other reason. As for Ziva, that was Ziva’s doing. If she had been upfront with Gibbs, she probably would still be here. She lied Abby, she committed espionage we could not trust her to stay at NCIS or any government agency. Uh…let me finish, now if you can’t or won't respect the choices I make don’t need or want you in my life.”

“But Tony,” Abby whined, “who is this woman you are with? What’s her name? We should make certain she is good enough for you.”

“Abby,” Tony sighed he really wanted to ask Abby if she wanted some cheese with her whine, “first off, it is none of your business who I’m with. Second, his name is Matthew, and we are married. I am happy for the first time in a very long time, you are not going to make me change my mind. I know that you don’t like change, but change is inevitable. Now if you want to be friends again we can work on that, but it will take time for me to let you back in like before and it might not ever happen. I love you Abby, but I don’t always like your behavior. Before you answer, talk to Ducky, Jimmy, and Gibbs.”

With that, Tony propelled Abby to the front door and gently pushed her out and shut it. That could have gone worse Tony thought.  

***

Abby walked like a zombie out to her car. She could not believe Tony talked to her like that and he was married. To a man, but Tony had never mentioned that he liked guys. If he had, Abby could have set him up with some really nice men she knew. She had always thought he was only into women. Abby’s whole world was turning upside down, and she was not sure who to talk to about it.

Abby got into her car and started driving, she did not even realize she was headed to Gibbs’ house until she stopped in front of it. She figured that Gibbs would be on her side like always. Tony was just mean. She found herself in Gibbs’ basement.

“Hey, Abbs.”

“Gibbs, Gibbs, Gibbs. Guess what I talked to Tony and he was so mean…and,” before she could finish Gibbs was stopping her.

“Okay, Abby slow down and tell me exactly what Tony told you.”

So, Abby did. She told him all the mean things Tony said to her. That he did want her in his life and that he never mentioned that he liked to date guys. Abby still thought she could have found someone better for Tony. Who was this guy, how could he be good enough for her Tony if she did not have a hand in picking him?

Gibbs signed, “Abby, Tony does want you in his life, but he wants a friend, not someone who wants to dictate his life to him. Abbs, I love you, you have a great big heart, but you have a habit of wanting things your way, and when Tony finally found some happiness, he did not want you to intrude upon it. If Tony is truly your friend, you will be happy for him just as he is. Also, you should meet Matt before you pass judgment on him. Now want to help me with the boat?”

Abby nodded. Well if Gibbs would not take her side then maybe she could talk to Ducky and Jimmy. McGee definitely would take her side. For now, though she would help Gibbs with his boat, that way she could spend time with one of her favorite people and maybe convince him of her point of view later.

Abby spent the rest of the day with Gibbs. She was not able to talk to the others until Monday morning, unfortunately for her Jimmy and Ducky said the same things as Gibbs. Well, that was alright because Timmy would side with her.

***

When McGee came into her lab for the results of some lab tests, she cornered him. She told him every mean thing Tony said to her. Abby also told him about this Matt person and how he could not be right for her Tony. She also told him about how Gibbs, Jimmy, and Ducky took Tony’s side. She was pouting at the end.

McGee blinked at all the new information he received from Abby. He really did not know how to respond. He did love Abby like a sister, but she could be pushy and really hated change.

“Abbs, I think I need to process all this information. You might be right about everything, alright. I got to get back to work before Gibbs finds me. See you later, Abbs.” McGee figured he could just avoid Abby for a few days and she would move on to something new.

Abby smiled to herself, McGee would side with her and then the others would see she was right.

***

It did not work out for Abby as she had planned because Matt decided to take things into his own hand. He had watched Tony get depressed after Abby’s visit because as much as Tony many have changed he still needed the approval of the people he considered friends and family. Abby was one of those people that Tony had let in years ago, and Matt did not think Tony could let her go yet. Something Matthew had learned about his husband was that Tony never abandoned anyone who did not leave him first. He also did not push anyone away unless they were a threat to Matt. He also was pretty sure that Abby had potential to be better even if it would take some work on his part. He knew from the others that Abby had a big heart, but really hated change and Matt was a change in her world. To fix things, Matt made plans to take Abby to lunch even if she didn’t know it.

Matt had convinced Jimmy and Ducky to take Abby to lunch so that Matt could meet her. He knew that Abby would be resistant to him, but he also could charm people if he wanted. Matt figured if he found some common ground with Abby she would start to like him. He also believed that if she saw that he did not want to keep Tony from his old friend, he would win some points with her. The only thing that had him concerned was that she needed to acknowledge the things she did to hurt Tony. That might be where things fell apart. As much as Tony protected Matt; Matt defended Tony.

Matt arrived at the restaurant shortly after the other three. When he was shown to the table, he could see that Abby would be a tough nut to crack.

“Jimmy, Ducky,” he greeted.

“Matt,” Jimmy said.

“Matthew, my dear boy this is Abigail Sciuto,” Ducky introduced them.

“Abby, I’m Matt Gist, Tony’s husband. It’s a pleasure to meet you,” he gave her his best smile.

“Nice to meet you,” she replied coldly.

Jimmy, Ducky, and Matt chatted with each other after they had ordered lunch. Matt spoke mostly of Tony and his recent habit of baking. Matt had figured out early on that when Tony was upset he would start to bake massive amounts of food.

“If I don’t find someone to take some of it off our hands soon both Tony and I will start to gain weight.”

“I didn’t know Tony baked,” Abby said.

“Oh…yes, Anthony is a wonderful baker and cook. You really should come to one of our Sunday dinners Abigail. I am certain that both Anthony and Matthew would love to have you,” Ducky responded.

Matt smiled at Abby, he could see that she was starting to crack. “Abby I would love to get to know you better, and I know that Tony really does miss you, but you have to understand something.” Matt waited until she nodded before he continued, “Tony is not going to let you guilt trip him or walk all over him, so if you think that you can worm your way back into his life and convince him to dump me it is not going to happen. I would like to be friend with you, but you will have to be the one to want it. Do you think you can do this for Tony? I get that change is hard for you Abby, but not all change is bad. Just maybe you can make a new friend.” With that Matt finished his lunch and left. He hoped she would come around.

***

Matt was disappointed, but not surprised that Abby did not show up for dinner on Sunday. Everyone had agreed to not let Tony know they had invited her just in case she did not show. They all still had a great dinner with the usual group. Jimmy, Brenna, Gibbs, Ducky, and Fornell. Ducky had brought his new lady friend, and Fornell had Emily that weekend, so she was there as well. Tony was trying to convince Gibbs to go out on a date with an old friend of Tony's, but Gibbs was adamant that he was done with dating. Tony just figured one day he would invite his friend and let the chips fall where they may.

Since Matt had not had success with Abby yet, he decided to try his luck with McGee. Tony still had hope that McGee would change, but he had yet to approach Tony about anything. Matt figured that McGee did not know how and he just thought to could help with that. He also thought if he could get McGee on Tony’s side than Abby would eventual have to see that she was not right.

While Tony was away for a few days dealing with situation for Morrow, Matt invited McGee over for coffee. It also gave him an excuse to get rid of some of Tony’s baking frustration. Matt could not eat much more of it, he had taken to giving it away to everyone he knew. Matt had also invited Jimmy, Ducky, Gibbs, and Fornell. Well, Fornell came for the baked goods, and Gibbs came for the coffee. Somehow since Tony and Gibbs buried the hatchet, he would find Gibbs at their house often. Matt knew they were working on something secret, he just hoped that it would not be something that got Tony back into NCIS.

Jimmy, Ducky, Gibbs, and Fornell were there when McGee showed up. Matt opened the door, smiled at him and said, “you must be Tim McGee, and I’m Matt Gist Tony’s husband.”

“Yeah…um is Tony here?”

“No, he had to go out of town, but the others are here. Come in please.”

Matt could tell that McGee was confused, but he came in any way. Matt showed him into the living room. He saw McGee’s eyes briefly widen when he saw who the others were.

“McGee,” Gibbs and Fornell greeted.

“Timothy,” Ducky said.

Jimmy nodded and handed McGee a cup of coffee. McGee sat down next to him, but he looked as if someone said boo he would jump out of his skin.

“So, Tim, can I call you Tim?” Matt asked. Tim nodded to him, so Matt continued, “I thought it might be a good idea to talk to you, since out of everyone you are the only one that had not contacted Tony.”

McGee not sure how to respond to that asked, “why would I contact Tony?”

“No reason, just thought you might want to clear the air with him now that you knew he was receptive,” Matt replied in his best diplomatic voice. He could tell the others were annoyed with McGee’s attitude; however, McGee did not seem to notice it. They spent the rest of the afternoon in pleasant, but meaningless conversation. After everyone left Matt figured he was not going to get anywhere with Abby or McGee. He just hoped Tony would be okay with their attitudes.

When Tony got home the next day, he appeared to be his old self again. Matt was grateful for that, so was his waistline.

Matt was still in bed when Tony got home. Tony could not wait to see him again, it had been only a day since he left, but it felt like weeks. Tony slipped into bed with him kissing his neck and cuddling up behind him.

“Morning sweetheart.”

“Mmmmmm…. morning Tony. Good trip?”

“All taken care of, job done. Missed you.”

Matt rolled over, so he could kiss Tony. The kiss turned heated, and before Matt knew it, he was under Tony naked and really enjoying his morning wake up call.


	14. Chapter 14

It had been several months since Matt had tried to get Abby and McGee to see Tony as anything different. Tony had bounced back from his disappointment with flare. He started to hang out with Gibbs more, and Matt would have been jealousy if Tony had not finally gotten Gibbs to agree to a date with his friend. Of course, Tony had forgotten to mention to Gibbs that his friend was a man about ten years younger than Gibbs, named David.

To everyone’s surprise, Gibbs did not kill Tony, but he did warn him not to do it again. Of course, Gibbs was still seeing David a month later. No one quite knew what to make of it. David was now a permanent fixture at Sunday dinners. Matt just shook his head at Tony and told him he was lucky.

Matt could not figure out what Tony and Gibbs were up to, but Tony had promised to show him as soon as he was ready. One morning Tony dragged Matt out of the house for a drive, when they pulled up to a large warehouse, Matt figured Tony was prepared to show him his secret.

What Tony showed him was not what Matt would have ever guessed. When they walked in Gibbs was waiting with David to show Matt around.

“Tony, what is this?” Matt asked.

“This,” Tony motioned to the surrounding area, “is me wanting to do something good with the money I have. With Gibbs’ help, we put together a non-profit organization that will help bring skilled people to teach kids at risk. We have woodworking, metal shop, auto, cooking skills, finance skills, business programs, you name it we got it. Our volunteers are a mix of veterans and non-veterans. David is going to run it, and Gibbs will volunteer when he can, but he also helped find people to fill needed skill slots. We are working with the juvenile courts and police departments in the surrounding areas to get the kids as soon as we can. We know we can’t change everyone, but if we can help some, it will be worth it. I thought you might want to help out where you could.”

The kiss when it came was expected entirely and completely toe-curling.

“I’d love to help,” Matthew said. “You know, we could probably get Ducky and Jimmy to help too,” Matt said also think that this might be the perfect opportunity to get Abby back into Tony’s life.

Tony glanced at Gibbs and shrugged as he chased after his husband.

Gibbs grabbed David’s hand threading their fingers and following the other two men and a more sedate pace. He would bring Abby down to the center and introduce her around, it might do her good. He still had hope she would grow-up. He was dragging Fornell’s ass down too.

 

The End…for now.


End file.
